


Pageant Queen

by honestgrins



Series: To Rely on the Kindness of Strangers [9]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-15
Updated: 2016-01-15
Packaged: 2018-05-14 04:33:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5729653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honestgrins/pseuds/honestgrins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: klaus is a bad boy who falls for good girl caroline. they start dating. klaus doesn't care who knows but caroline wants to keep it a secret because she's scared of what people will think.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pageant Queen

"Did you see them?"

Caroline looked up from her planner, brandishing her highlighter in warning. "Elena, you know better than to distract me when I'm planning my week," she said. "The Miss Mystic Falls pageant is going to be a lot more work than I had anticipated."

Rolling her eyes, Elena grabbed the highlighter from the blonde's hand. "You're already going to win, I don't understand why you have to keep gilding the lily," she said, staring at the multiple events and committee meetings Caroline had been carefully color-coordinating. "Anyway, this distraction is totally worth it. The new family who bought the creepy mansion outside of town finally moved in, and they're gorgeous."

"Since when do you care," Caroline asked, looking around the school lawn curiously. "I thought you were still swooning over Stefan. Or was it Damon?"

Elena shrugged. "A girl can look," she said. "There's four of them enrolled here, with one older brother already in college and a younger one in elementary school."

Narrowing her eyes, Caroline's lips pursed in annoyance. "I don't like that you know the gossip before I do," she admitted. She sighed and closed her planner. "Okay, what do you know?"

* * *

"Kol and Rebekah are freshmen, twins apparently," Elena answered. "She's a little standoffish, but he's a total flirt. You should have seen him with Bonnie. She looked like she wanted to scrape him off her shoe."

Caroline laughed. "Freshmen," she groaned, shaking her head. "Any in our grade?"

"Niklaus," Elena said, scrunching her nose. "It's kind of a weird name, and he didn't even acknowledge me and Bonnie when we tried to introduce ourselves. With the black leather jacket and mean scowl, he probably imagines himself to be some sort of bad boy."

"Rude," Caroline commented. "If he didn't talk to you, how do you know all of this?"

Elena sighed dreamily. "Elijah is a senior, and he's such a gentleman," she said. "He introduced himself and his siblings, saying he was 'glad to make our acquaintance.'"

"What are you doing with your voice," Caroline snorted.

"It's a British accent," Elena defended, playfully hitting her shoulder. "They all have one, so posh."

Looking up, Caroline's eyes caught sight of a stranger storming toward the football bleachers. He was too far away to really ogle, but the leather jacket was enough for her to guess. "Is that Niklaus?"

Whipping her head around, Elena nodded her confirmation. "He looks mad," she said, noting the way he clutched his messenger bag. "Maybe he's one of those crazies that plant a bomb in their backpack."

"Not funny, 'Lena," Caroline admonished with a hard glare. Even if her Sheriff mother barely had time for her anymore, she knew better than to joke about something so serious. "It's his first day in a new place. He's probably tired of everyone bugging him."

"Whatever," Elena said, picking up her bag. "I've got to get to chem. Are you coming?"

Glancing back to where Niklaus had made himself comfortable on the bleachers, Caroline was surprised to find him staring in her direction. Tearing her eyes away, though, she nodded to Elena. "Yep, let's go."

* * *

For the next week, Caroline couldn't help the draw she felt to the new student who happened to be in all of her classes. Well, if he even bothered to show up.

"Mr. Mikaelson," the history teacher greeted sarcastically. "Thank you for honoring us with your presence today."

Niklaus just grunted as he made for the open desk in the back corner. She wasn't sure if she'd ever heard him speak real words, not even when she tried to have a pleasant conversation with him in the hallway. He just walked away.

"Yes, your eloquence is noted," Mr. Tanner sighed. "I wonder if detention would help you learn the importance of punctuality. See me after school today."

Without acknowledging the teacher at all, Klaus just flipped open a notebook and seemed to zone out.

A part of Caroline wanted to smack the guy, wondering how hard it could possibly be to act like a human being. Another part just felt bad for him and wanted to give him a hug; it couldn't be easy for someone new to get stuck in Mystic Falls. Instead, she faced the front of the classroom before she could act on either impulse.

Unable to resist looking back, though, she found him staring at her again.

* * *

"Welcome, everyone, to the first meeting of the Mystic Falls Beautification Committee," Caroline announced. Their table at the Grill was tucked into the corner to better facilitate a productive discussion, though the participants were few. She had hoped for more volunteers to make this venture more impressive to the Miss Mystic Falls judging panel. "Thank you for showing interest in this cause, as I believe we can really make our hometown shine with a little bit of elbow grease."

"I'm here," a young blonde yelled, rushing into the restaurant. "Rebekah Mikaelson," she introduced herself, panting a bit with the exertion.

Caroline smiled kindly, despite her annoyance at the late arrival. "Thanks for coming, Rebekah, take a seat."

"Oh, my brother's coming, too," Rebekah explained, pulling out two chairs.

Turning to the entrance, Caroline was shocked to see Niklaus coming their way. "Why don't you all start discussing project ideas," she ordered as she walked toward the newcomer. Mindful of the curious eyes following him, Caroline kept her anger to a whisper. "What are you doing here?"

His eyebrows rose in surprise before his expression formed into a seemingly evil smirk. "It's a free country, love," he said smugly. "But if you must know, I've been assigned too many detentions. The principal required me to choose a club or activity to join as a better use of my time."

"So you chose my committee," Caroline asked, confused. "You don't care about this place."

Eyes darkening, he clearly didn't appreciate her comment. "You're making assumptions," he warned.

"Maybe, Niklaus," she said, "but that doesn't mean I'm wrong. I expect nothing less than the best, and if that's not you, you shouldn't be here. I need this committee to stand out for my application to the Founders Council if I want to be Miss Mystic Falls."

Raising a challenging brow, he nodded. "My sister was excited about joining the committees, and you're something of a role model to her, apparently," he explained, softening as he looked at his sister. "This way, I can keep an eye on her. And please, call me Klaus."

Caroline cocked her head in consideration. She rolled her eyes when he tried for the puppy dog look. "Fine," she sighed, crossing her arms. "But don't think your dimples are going to save you from my wrath if you screw this up for me."

"Noted," he said, dimples cutting deep into his cheeks.

* * *

Reluctantly, Caroline felt herself warming up to Klaus Mikaelson. He still grunted during school hours and barely paid attention, but he also shared commiserating looks with her in class and often found her in the library to share a table during free period.

It was nice, to have someone around who didn't need her constant attention or answers to inane questions. He just...appreciated her presence.

Unfortunately, she couldn't say the same for her friends about Klaus.

"He's so weird," Elena complained over lunch. She had found Klaus and Caroline editing the newspaper ad the committee needed to solicit neighborhood projects, and the visual of them hunched over the library table apparently burned Elena's eyes in disgust. "I didn't even know you talked to him."

"He talks," Matt asked, sounding meaner than he really meant.

Caroline scoffed at both of them. "Klaus is actually nice, he's just picky about the people he hangs out with," she tried to explain, ignoring the niggle of pleasure she felt at the thought of being on that list.

"Or," Tyler spoke up, "he just wants to get into your pants."

Rolling her eyes, Caroline focused on her salad. "It's not like I have a personality or anything that might matter more," she huffed.

Yet, she found herself avoiding Klaus. If Tyler was right, then Klaus was probably just using his "man of mystery" persona to make her feel special. Once he got what he wanted, he would go back to his rude self. Caroline would much rather wonder about the "what if" than lose a friend in the aftermath.

Klaus clearly felt the rejection, though, as his scowls returned. He even showed up to class on time, since it meant he could quit attending the committee meetings.

Rebekah still came, and Caroline could feel the arctic breeze every time the younger blonde looked her way. "Do we have a problem, Rebekah," she finally asked, after the rest of the group had packed up for the day.

"Why did you stop being nice to Nik?" Even as a freshman, Rebekah's bossiness rivaled Caroline's. Her terse tone and jaunted hip brooked for no argument. "He really liked you, then your jerk friends convinced you to ignore him."

Caroline opened her mouth to defend herself, but she found that she couldn't. Shame flushing her face, she looked down to her shoes. "I know," she admitted. Sheepishly, she glanced up to the still angry girl. "I didn't think he really liked me all that much, I just would have been an easy mark for 'the misunderstood bad boy' thing."

Scoffing, Rebekah picked up her bag. "He's not that bad," Rebekah said. "Nik is just terrible at making friends since his last girlfriend cheated on him with his best mate. Trust issues are bound to happen."

"Fair enough," Caroline replied. "I didn't know."

"Obviously," Rebekah snorted, probably at how sad Caroline looked. "I need a ride home, and Nik will be there. Can I get a lift?"

Nodding silently, Caroline wondered if an apology would be enough at this point.

* * *

"Nik," Rebekah called out, leaving Caroline to stew in her awkward silence on the porch. "Stop being a lonesome twit and get down here, you have a visitor."

"Lovely, Bekah," Klaus replied, coming down the grand staircase. "Is this your new joke, saying I have visitors when you know there is no one I woul- Caroline?"

"My work here is done," Rebekah crowed as she bounded past her dumbfounded brother. "Don't screw it up."

Caroline waved, uncharacteristically shy. "Hi, Klaus."

"What are you doing here," he asked, closing the door behind him as he stepped out onto the porch. "I thought you were too good to hang out with me anymore."

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I didn't think-"

"That I had feelings," he asked with a scoff. "Don't flatter yourself, love. All you hurt was my ego, for a moment."

Rolling her eyes, Caroline crossed her arms angrily. "You know, I came here to apologize and to try to be friends again. That I screwed up and let my friends doubt your intentions, because surely you saw me as more than a dumb blonde to screw. Clearly, I was mistaken," she said, ready to stomp away.

"Caroline," he called, reaching for her arm. She whipped around to face him, but he didn't back away. "I did see you as more than that, I do. Why do you think I joined your stupid committee in the first place?"

"My committee isn't stupid," she defended, completely missing his point. "What is so bad about making the town look its best?"

He shook his head, helpless in the face of her anger yet thrilled to be the subject of her yelling anyway. He had missed her. "Nothing," he answered, letting his hand fall from her elbow to her hand. "There's nothing wrong with that, your committee, or you. Until you decided I wasn't worth your time, that is."

Sighing in defeat, Caroline couldn't look away from their joined hands. "You're worth my time, Klaus," she said, peeking up at him. "I'm sorry for making you feel otherwise."

He rubbed her hand with his thumb, and a smug smirk took over his face. "Friends, then?"

She took him entirely by surprise when she leaned in to kiss him instead. "I think I have enough friends," she whispered coyly as she pulled away.

"I think so too," he agreed, pulling her toward him as he stole another kiss.

* * *

Caroline had convinced him to keep their new relationship quiet. She was still focused on her bid for Miss Mystic Falls and the committee, and she didn't have time to deal with the inevitable fallout her friends would cause at the news. Klaus understood, even keeping it from his siblings as best he could, though Rebekah knew everything.

He rejoined the Beautification Committee as an easy excuse to spend time with Caroline, and they often took advantage of her mother's busy work schedule to get some privacy. Everything was fine, so Klaus didn't see a problem with keeping their relationship private.

Then, dance rehearsals for the pageant began.

"I don't understand why you need to practice more," Klaus whined as she positioned his arms. The Forbes' living room didn't offer much space, and his wrist accidentally hit the mantel over the fireplace. "Didn't you do this for two hours with Lockwood already?"

"Wow," Caroline answered in a snarky voice. "I think that's the first time you didn't spit at his name," she said, knowing how annoyed he could be when it came to her escort. "And he's not that graceful, so I need to be doubly perfect on the big day."

Klaus narrowed his eyes. "If he's so lacking in graces," he drawled, "why choose Lockwood?"

Sighing, Caroline toyed with the necklaces around Klaus's neck as he dropped his arms. "His mother's a judge on the panel," she admitted, though she had explained it before. "It looks good to have another founding family name tied to yours on the scorecard."

"Even though you're supposed to be with me," he asked softly, the hurt clear in his voice.

"Klau-"

"No, Caroline," he cut her off, running a hand through his hair. "Maybe I've been kidding myself, and I know how important this pageant is to you. But, I guess I hoped that I was important, too." He picked up his jacket to leave.

"Klaus, no matter how much I lo-"

"I've got to go," he said, interrupting her as he practically ran out of the house. He didn't kiss her goodbye.

He probably didn't even hear her almost confess to big feelings she had just realized existed within her.

* * *

He didn't want to go. Ignoring Caroline all week had been hard enough, but to watch her go through the pageant with Lockwood ought to have constituted as torture.

Somehow, though, not watching her triumph at all would have been worse.

So, he let Rebekah air out his tux from their mother's society events and choose a tie that would match Caroline's dress. He was uncomfortable, waiting in the crowd for the nominees to be announced. Lockwood's smirk from the escort line just made everything worse.

"Excuse me," a woman said from behind him. She looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place her. "Are you Klaus Mikaelson?"

"Yes," he answered, confused.

The woman smiled. "She wasn't sure you'd be here," she said. "I'm Jenna, Elena's aunt. I was just upstairs with the girls, and Caroline had asked me to find you. She wants you to step in as her escort."

Klaus was speechless, and apparently powerless as Rebekah shoved him over to the escort line. Jenna was talking to an angry Tyler, but she nodded for Klaus to join the group. He couldn't believe it; Caroline was actually risking her crown to replace Tyler as her escort.

And she was doing it for him.

That thought almost had him running away, forcing her to follow her original plans, but the music started and the first girl carefully made her way down the staircase. From where he stood, Klaus could just make out the train of Caroline's dark green dress. She had been so excited to show him when she bought it, but he had yet to see it on her.

Her name was announced, and Klaus would have sworn that she floated down the stairs. The dress hugged her every curve, but her smile was brighter than anything else in the room. It even widened when she saw him waiting for her.

He offered his hand, which she squeezed as he led her out onto the patio with the other contestants. "Thank you," she mouthed, facing him for the dance. He was lucky she had made him practice with her so many times. The muscle memory helped him when he couldn't tear his eyes from her.

When it was time to announce the winner, Klaus reluctantly let go of her hand so she could join the others onstage. Not even a minute later, she was crowned Miss Mystic Falls.

Her first official act was to quickly shuffle over to her boyfriend and kiss him in front of the whole town.


End file.
